You don’t have to be emotionally unstable to create fantastic artwork but – if the portfolios of Vincent Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo and Mark Rothko are anything to go by – it often helps. Seeking to help Abu Dhabi’s emotionally afflicted channel their issues creatively and constructively, Swiss-based artist and therapist Leila Al-Husseini is hosting a series of hands-on sessions at the Salwa Zeidan Gallery next month.
How long have you been holding these sorts of workshops? How did the idea come about?
My clinical practice is based on my combined training in art and therapy. As a result, I’ve been holding therapeutic art workshops for 15 years. I’ve enjoyed many success stories over the years, and since 2002 have been researching the benefit of art therapy with people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
For what kind of emotional problems is artistic therapy most beneficial?
Artistic therapy can be helpful for anyone who struggles to express themselves through words. In most cases, this tends to be people who are suffering from depression and anxiety. The relationship I create is far from a sentimental convenience, it becomes a place of creative dynamics and intense receptivity.
Talk us through what happens in one of your one-hour sessions. How much creative guidance do you provide?
In the workshop, I try to create a playful atmosphere with the patient, in an attempt to create an intermediate space between internal feelings and external actions. The aim is to, through painting, make visible the act of feeling – it is a language that allows us to externalise emotional content. With this in mind, I try to avoid intervening and judging the patient’s expression – I leave them with complete creative freedom. For my part, I look at what has been created and ask questions that provide an external perspective to the patient’s work. This way, the patient may notice repetition of certain forms and colour choices, and from here make the connections with elements of their life.
Are there different types of mediums that are better suited to different sorts of emotional problems?
In my experience, it does not matter the material used in the workshop: watercolour, acrylic, coloured pencils or collage. What matters is the projective process and relationship itself. The classes provide a framework, a ‘here and now’ experience between the project and the memory.
Do the people you work with tend to create more abstract art or realistic art? Why do you think this is?
The paintings tend to reveal the patient’s specific view of the world. But I would note that painting itself – abstract and/or figurative – does not belong to the mundane, it is part of the pathology of adaptation. It is not necessary for the patient to have an experience in art or to be gifted in painting and drawing to access their personal expression.
Would you say that emotional imbalances help people to create better art? Many famous and successful artists have suffered with depression, after all…
It is true that some big artists suffered emotional problems, but this is obviously not the only reason for their creativity. It’s the simple act of expressing emotions – and expressing them genuinely – which helps to make a work of art.
Leila’s Art & Therapie sessions are due to take place from February 20-28 at the Salwa Zeidan Gallery. Prices start at Dhs368 for a one-hour, one-on-one session. For more information, or to book a place, contact Salwa Zeidan Gallery on 02 666 9656 or info@salwazeidangallery.com
